Short Stories For The Long Haul by John T Buckley

Short Stories For The Long Haul

John T Buckley

4 Stars

Genre: Short Stories
Pages: 117
Published: 4 August 2022

Publisher's Blurb

Short Stories for the Long Haul is thought provoking and fun. A book written in the spirit of Ernest Hemingway with a very readable writing style. Greater meaning is in the reader’s understanding and interpretation of the plot lines than over explaining things. A perfect book for the beach, the hunting camp, or your favorite recliner.

Review

Short Stories for the Long Haul is a deliciously eclectic collection that spans a diverse number of genre and themes.

The stories range in quality as is only natural for a short story collection and those that appeal to one reader may be different to somebody else. These range from the mildly interesting at one end of the spectrum to the truly excellent at the other.

The collection kicks off with a futuristic search for a serial killer in ‘The Billiard Ball Killer’ which sees two detectives being given the runaround by a cunning perp.

Next up is ‘The Life and Football Glory of Corporal Kenny Radler’ which is a humorous tale of a quarterback with a completely unorthodox style who goes from nowhere to the Super Bowl and all because of a bet with a friend.

‘The Sumerican Love Gang’ is a quirky story of a religious cult that attempt to hold the world to ransom with strategically placed explosives – What do they want? Just to be left in peace.

In a world where anyone convicted of a crime, however minor, is sent off to fight in an intergalactic war ‘3 Blind Horses of Fire’ mixes warfare with sorcery and has a killer twist.

Story number 5 ‘Theodore Goodbuddy’ sees a group of fishermen stumble onto a secret stash of gold but will the original owner let them leave with their treasure?

‘The Record Deal’ reminds us that when an offer sounds too good to be true the chances are it isn’t. A musician follows his dream but ends up fighting for his life

A real shaggy dog story is presented with ‘My Love Dog’ and it is a fun read

A strange tale of a father bonding with his sons at a Baseball match in the perplexingly titled ‘The Identical Thieves’ is the eighth offering in the collection and for me is one of the weaker pieces

‘The Riverdale Three’ gives a glimpse into life in a retirement home where a couple of the residents take their revenge on a hated member of staff

Last in the list is ‘The Lovely Lieutenant’ and this tells the story of the creation of an army of perfect soldiers to get revenge for a personal tragedy that happened during the Vietnam War.

So, ten stories, that make up a fun collection and all have their own merits. Some are funny, some make you think and others allow you to lose yourself in the sheer banality of the situation. If you find one that doesn’t hit the spot then they’ll be another one along in a few minutes that will.

This is the kind of collection that you can dip in and out of, or just read cover to cover. I’m sure there will be some that you’ll want to return to in due course

Author

Twitter @johnbuckley111

Hi everyone, I’m happy to be on Amazon. I’m a Maine writer and I live in Portland. I’ve been to The University of Southern Maine where I studied English Literature. I also attended Vermont Technical College where I studied Architectural Engineering. I love reading, cheeseburgers, and the outdoors. I write everyday and would encourage anyone who is serious about writing to do the same. I love movies and especially the original Point Break. My favorite book is Dune and The Dome is a close second.